An extraordinary scene occurred on Tuesday, on the 'ballot for
the Carlow election petition. The doors were closed, but the f; flowing is the received account of what took place. Mr. Maule app,aled at the bar as counsel for Mr. Keogh, High Sheriff of Carlow, 011 fl11003 serious imputations were cast in the petition. He prap-d that Mr. Keogh might be admitted as a party to defend the petition, on his own account; and rested his claim on a clause in the Grenville Act, width says, that " in case the Sheriff shall appear, and in case there shell be more than one petition from distinct parties,and complaining ml uhiffertet grounds," then the House may determine that the Sheriff shall lie ad- mitted a party to strike off names from the thirty-three members elitism by the House, till the number is reduced to eleven. It was argot d. that in this case there were two petitions, one complaining of the retina, and another from Mr. Vigors's constituents praying permission to de- fend it. The question was, whether the act did not north. to plate the case in which two petitions complaining of the return should be pre- sented—not one complaining, and another merely praying that tele
defendant might be substituted for another. The Tories urged Old such must have been the intention of the act,—and for this excellent reason, that the Liberals would have struck off two votes for one, the in- terest of Vigors and Keogh being identical, if the petition of the :slit-miff
were granted. The first question on which the House divided MIS, whether the following words proposed to be left out should stall
part of the question—" That the Returning Officer be pei mined
to appear as a separate party ;" and the House voted, by 128 to 118, that they should" stand pai t of the question." The victory seemed to
be decided in favour of the Liberals ; but when the " main question" was put—that is, the same question put in a different form —behold the " Ayes" ;were 115 only, and the " Noes" 131; so the Lilie- rals were eventually defeated. This result was brought about by
the desertion of thirteen thin-skinned 31inisterialists, riviiu, walked over to the Tory side of the House. Some admire the honesty if these gentlemen ; others pity their softness. Those who indulge ii. me latter sentiment frankly avow, that in struggles for the majei lie in an Election Committee it would be absurd not to take every oil vutIge. The Tories stick at nothing. The whole practice is worse even than the system which prevailed before that grave piece of humbug, the Grenville Act, was passed. It ought to be aboli-lied, and something like an honest tribunal established for the decisien ui1.1.111. troverted elections but we have had a Reformed Parliament kit live years and nothing has been done towards the abatement of thi. As long, however, as the appointment of a Committee and the dee;stons of a Committee depend upon unblushing partisanship, it is clii1.11-11 In Liberals to be punctilious and return good for evil to thir Ii,iis. Look at the proceediegs in the Carlow and Longford (utlittil ii rooms. On the Carlow Committee are a majority of Liberals; and they retain all the votes given to Vigors, for which a colourable defence can be made. The Tories have got a majority on the Longford case, in consequence partly of the unfortunate illness of Mr. Horsman, partly because the Liberals stupidly and ignorantly put Lord Clive into the chair in the hope of neutralizing his vote,—not being aware that in Election Committees the chairman has two votes. Lord Clive, how- ever, knows better : he votes once to make the four Tories equal the five Liberals, and then he gives his casting-vote on the same side, thus turning every question against the actual majority of the Committee. His Lordship only acts according to law; but this advantage the Libe- rals 'task have had if they bud consulted the Act of Parliament, and ascertained the real powers of a Chairman. Of the Liberal Members of the Longford Contmittee, probably not one has ever read the statute by which his proceedings must be regulated.
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